The nearly three-decade drought of wide receivers failing to win the Heisman Trophy ended when Alabama senior DeVonta Smith was presented the award during a virtual ceremony on Tuesday night.

Smith is the third player from Alabama to claim college football’s most prestigious award and the first receiver to win it since Michigan‘s Desmond Howard in 1991. Smith beat out three other finalists, all of whom were quarterbacks: Alabama’s Mac Jones, Clemson‘s Trevor Lawrence and Florida‘s Kyle Trask.

Smith leads the FBS in receptions (105), receiving yards (1,641) and receiving touchdowns (20). He’s dropped only two passes all season.

Like Howard, Smith is more than a receiver, though. He rushed for one touchdown and returned a punt for another score this season. Along the way, he set an SEC record for career touchdowns and an Alabama record for career receiving yards.

Last week, Smith was named The Associated Press Player of the Year, becoming the first receiver to win the award.

Not bad for a skinny kid from Amite, Louisiana, who in high school would drop to the floor and do push-ups whenever he saw his reflection because he thought he was too small to play college football.

“Tay-Tay,” as he’s known back home, got stronger but remained a relative featherweight at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds. Because of his slight build, strong hands and skill as a route-runner, he’d draw comparisons to former Indianapolis Colts great Marvin Harrison.

At Alabama, coaches and players would call him simply, “Smitty.” But he also picked up the nickname of the “Slim Reaper” along the way.

As a freshman, Smith achieved national recognition when he caught the game-winning pass in overtime of the 2018 CFP title game against Georgia. The iconic play — known forever as “2nd-and-26” — could have defined his career, but the reserved Smith shied away from it whenever it was brought up. As he’d say later, “I don’t too much care about the catch no more. It’s a new year. We’re moving on.”

However, as a sophomore, injuries would hamper his development and he was largely overshadowed by the emergence of teammates and fellow star receivers Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III and Jaylen Waddle. Even after scoring 14 touchdowns as a junior, Smith managed to fly under the radar.

But this season changed all that. Jeudy and Ruggs departed for the NFL, and Waddle, who was one of the most dynamic playmakers in college football, was lost to an ankle injury four games into the season.

Smith wasn’t even on the Heisman odds board at Caesars Sportsbook until after Waddle was injured in late October, where he was posted at 60-1. But with Waddle sidelined, Smith became the focal point of the passing game and he excelled in the spotlight.

A week after Waddle’s injury, Smith scored four touchdowns in a win over Mississippi State. He’d score a pair of touchdowns in each of the next two games against Kentucky and Auburn before returning home to Louisiana and scoring three times against LSU.

Smith has excelled in postseason play, finding the end zone twice against Florida in the SEC championship and three more times against Notre Dame during the CFP semifinal at The Rose Bowl Game Presented by Capital One.

After beating the Irish to advance to the CFP title game, Saban called Smith a “talented guy” and a “hard worker.”

“He does everything exactly right,” Saban said. “He has a great understanding of what he needs to do to make plays, and he makes them every chance he gets. So we’re very fortunate to have him.”

Saban, who is not prone to make comparisons, said that Smith has done “as much this year for our team as any player that we’ve ever had.”

Jones, who threw for 4,036 yards and 36 touchdowns this season, called Smith “the most electric player in college football.”

“He means the most to us here at Alabama,” Jones said. “You can watch the games and see that, what type of person he is with how he plays. I’ve been real excited just to be able to get him the ball this year. He came back to try and win a national championship and improve his draft (stock), and I feel like he’s done exactly that because he’s just gotten open and made explosive plays.”

ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. lists Smith as the fourth-best player on his Big Board, and the No. 1-rated receiver.

Heisman Trophy in hand, the only thing left to do now is for Smith to end his career the way it began: Competing for a national championship game.

Smith is 1-1 in championship games in his career. On Monday, he’ll break that tie against Ohio State.

The post Alabama receiver Smith wins Heisman Trophy appeared first on Global News Video.

• 

  MLB InsidersESPN

Now that 2020 is (finally) behind us, baseball is entering a new year with uncertainty the only certainty across the sport, so we asked our team of MLB experts to each identify and lay out one storyline that will most define 2021 along with something they can’t wait to see as things hopefully begin to return to some normalcy throughout the months ahead.

When will the season actually begin and how many games will we actually see? How will the upcoming expiration of the collective bargaining agreement impact the season ahead? Which superstars will be on the move next? And which teams will dominate when the games do begin? Only time will tell, but here’s what we’re watching closest in 2021.

The post The biggest storylines that will define baseball in 2021 appeared first on Global News Video.

When Chelsea signed Timo Werner (£47.7m) and Kai Havertz (£71m) for a combined £118.7m last summer, it was clear the club were making a long-term investment in the future. At 24 and 21, respectively, the two German forwards arrived at Stamford Bridge with only bright things ahead of them, and Chelsea overcame competition from Europe’s top clubs to get the deals done.

It was a similar story with Hakim Ziyech (£36m from Ajax), Ben Chilwell (£50m from Leicester) and Edouard Mendy (£22m from Rennes). Chelsea spent big in the build-up to the 2020-21 season because they not only wanted, and needed, to strengthen manager Frank Lampard’s squad, but because billionaire owner Roman Abramovich and executive director Marina Granovskaia were determined to future-proof the team and ensure that the club could compete for major honours for the next 5-10 years.

Planning ahead is the basic principle of any smart business and Chelsea have always done deals with at least one eye on the future ever since Abramovich bought the club in 2003. His approach has always been fairly simple: buy the top players, then leave the manager to get the best out of them and deliver a return on the investment in the form of major trophies. And as 2021 marks the 18th year of the Abramovich era at Chelsea, nothing has changed, which is why Lampard will know that the heat is on to meet the standard set by the club’s demanding Russian owner.

No Chelsea manager appointed by Abramovich has been in charge for longer than two seasons without winning a trophy, putting Lampard under pressure before a ball had been kicked this campaign following the failure to win silverware during his first year in the job. But sources have told ESPN that Lampard may yet become the first manager to break that cycle if he does not win a trophy this season.

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Abramovich and Granovskaia understand the club is in a transitional period and that the man who enjoyed huge success as a Chelsea player is making the team younger and hungrier by giving chances to the likes of Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Billy Gilmour. However, take away his status as a Chelsea legend, which has afforded Lampard the patience that others would not have had, and his results so far have actually been below par. His team start 2021 outside the top four, having lost three of their last five Premier League games, and as Abramovich has shown in the past, if a team is not performing to his high standards, it is the manager who pays the price rather than the players.

If Lampard is to survive and prosper as Chelsea manager, he needs to deliver better results and better performances from his expensive players. There can be no escaping the fact that Lampard is failing to make the Werner and Havertz signings work, and that does not bode well for the 42-year-old. The immediate challenge is to find a way to get Werner scoring again and settle on a suitable role for Havertz, who has looked lost in a Chelsea shirt so far.

Werner has scored just four Premier League goals in 16 appearances to date and hasn’t scored any in his last 12 appearances for the club in all competitions. Lampard has deployed him through the centre and out wide, but nothing appears to be working and Werner’s confidence is diminishing with every game. He was taken off after just 45 minutes of the 3-1 defeat at Arsenal and dropped to the bench for Monday’s 1-1 draw against Aston Villa, so he can’t be assured of a starting spot against Manchester City on Sunday.

play

Don Hutchison reveals his ideal Chelsea XI, which relies on the availability of summer signing Hakim Ziyech.

Were it not for Olivier Giroud scoring eight goals in his last eight games, the spotlight on Werner’s failings would be even more intense. Giroud, who Chelsea were prepared to let go last January, has saved his team and manager from some serious scrutiny with his performances in recent weeks.

Yet while Werner is clearly struggling, Havertz is having an even worse time than his Germany teammate. His inexperience is a factor and Havertz needs time to adjust to English football, but when you are signed for £71m, patience is in short supply.

Lampard appears not to know how to use Havertz. The youngster was played on the right by Leverkusen and admits to preferring the role of a No. 10, but he has not clicked in Lampard’s system, where he even played as a central forward in the early-season defeat against Liverpool.

What happens next is a test of Lampard’s coaching and managerial skills. In his first job at Derby and in year one at Chelsea, he succeeded by giving young players a chance and allowing the more senior professionals to do what has always served them best. But he is now being expected to raise the bar and prove that he can work with top-quality stars as well as youngsters. If he fails, history shows that another manager will soon be asked to take on that same task.

The post Lampard in danger at Chelsea if Werner and Havertz fail? appeared first on Global News Video.

The British and Irish Lions will discuss this month whether to visit South Africa as planned later in the year because of concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Lions are scheduled to play eight matches in South Africa, including a three-Test series against world champions the Springboks, starting on July 3 in Cape Town.

But the coronavirus, which has seen a new variant emerge from England and South Africa, has cast doubt on the trip.

According to a Reuters tally, South Africa has more than one million COVID-19 cases, the United Kingdom has more than 2.5m and Ireland has more than 93,000.

“As you would expect, we are progressing with our plans based on the latest information available to us,” Lions managing director Ben Calveley said.

“However, given the uncertainty that continues to be caused by the coronavirus pandemic both in South Africa, as well as the U.K. and Ireland, we are very aware of the need to make a timely decision on the best way forward.

“The Lions Board has had repeated meetings to discuss all scenarios available and is in constant dialogue. It will meet throughout January and into February, if required, to review all relevant information and data.”

The post COVID-19: Lions trip to South Africa in doubt appeared first on Global News Video.

Conor McGregor‘s 2020 fell well short of his expectations. He had planned to fight at least three times, with one of those being a rematch against Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight championship.

Instead, McGregor fought for a total of 40 seconds, which was how long he needed to beat the fading Donald Cerrone on Jan. 18. The coronavirus pandemic interrupted McGregor’s plans for the rest of the year, and he became so frustrated that he tweeted he was retiring — again.

So consider 2020 a mulligan for McGregor, who will look to get back on track in UFC 257, scheduled for Jan. 23. He’ll have his rematch, but it won’t be against Nurmagomedov, and it won’t be for a title. He’ll face Dustin Poirier, who fell in just 1 minute, 46 seconds via TKO against McGregor in 2014.

Poirier has won 10 fights since then, beating some of the best in the UFC, including Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway and Dan Hooker. McGregor went on to become the biggest star in UFC history, establishing himself as the first UFC fighter ever to hold two belts simultaneously.

So what will the rematch hold? This page will be continuously updated with news, features, social media posts and more, as McGregor vs. Poirier 2 is set to headline on “Fight Island.”

Khabib sees McGregor-Poirier winner on title track

Khabib Nurmagomedov said he believes the winner of the UFC 257 main event between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier on Jan. 23 will fight for the UFC lightweight belt. He did not, however, name an opponent for that potential title fight.

Nurmagomedov remains the lightweight champ despite retiring after beating Justin Gaethje on Oct. 24. He was asked during an interview with the Russian outlet Match TV if there’s a chance he’ll fight again in the UFC, and according to the transcript Match provided, he said: “I would not want that.”

Some originally thought Nurmagomedov was indicating that McGregor vs. Poirier would be for the title, assuming it was vacant. But Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, clarified that what the champ meant was he believes the winner of the Jan. 23 bout will fight for the title.

Read the entire story.

McGregor’s gesture puts gym owner in tears

Philip Mulpeter posted bad news recently on Instagram. The gym he owns, SBG Portarlington in County Laois, Ireland, would have to close its doors because of financial concerns brought upon by COVID-19 lockdowns in the country.

“We’ve had three lockdowns now, and I think after each lockdown it’s hard to get the same numbers back in,” Mulpeter told ESPN. “People lose the routine and just our numbers were dropping. Every time there was a new lockdown, we got deeper and deeper into debt. … Our landlord wasn’t giving us any break on the rent or anything like that. We had to decide to shut the doors for good.”

Then in stepped Conor McGregor.

Read the entire story.

See which of the two is ranked among ESPN’s P4P top 10

There was a time when Conor McGregor was considered one of the best fighters on the planet, with a future that could make him the GOAT.

But a lucrative sidetrack to box Floyd Mayweather Jr. derailed those plans on Aug. 26, 2017. Was it a temporary derailment? The answer might be revealed in 2021.

Meanwhile, Dustin Poirier has been busy and successful, beating some of the best in the world.

One of these two was ranked among the top 10 pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

Which one?

See the rankings here.

This is the most compelling fight to open 2021

The UFC begins 2021 with what should be a featherweight thriller: former champion Max Holloway taking on Calvin Kattar on Jan. 16, with the winner possibly earning a title opportunity. Four days later, the UFC could see a welterweight title challenger emerge.

But the fight everyone is looking forward to will be on Jan. 23, when Conor McGregor returns to face Dustin Poirier.

Read the entire story.

Real or not: If McGregor wins, Khabib rematch is next

Helwani: I definitely think the UFC will explore the possibility of Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor 2 next year, if McGregor beats Poirier Jan. 23. After all, we know that was the UFC’s plan/hope for 2020 before, well, you know the rest.

I mean, could you imagine if Nurmagomedov is going for 30-0 against McGregor? No joke, I think that could generate close to 3 million pay-per-view buys, which would make it the highest-selling PPV in UFC history. It would be massive, and the UFC would undoubtedly explore it. The UFC knows how big this is. But first, McGregor has to get by Poirier, which is no easy task. Poirier is a much more confident and better fighter than the one McGregor beat over six years ago.

Read the entire story.

McGregor’s journey: Success, controversy, star power

UFC president Dana White remembers the first time he heard the name Conor McGregor, a name that would forever change the promotion.

White was in Dublin to receive an award from Trinity College in 2013 when he invited UFC fans on Twitter to join him at a nearby pub after the ceremony. Drinks would be covered by the UFC president.

It was that night, Feb. 11, when he first heard a name that would become the most talked about in UFC history.

“The place was packed, full of people,” White said. “I was in there with the fans all night, and everybody kept talking about Conor McGregor.”

Read the entire story.

What they’re saying

John Kavanagh believes the result of Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor’s first fight will be hard to forget for Poirier. pic.twitter.com/X6fXJ7bQNp

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 27, 2020

Charles Oliveira vs. the winner of McGregor/Poirier for the 155 belt.#espnplus #UFC https://t.co/HqJ7550toD

— Charles Oliveira (@CharlesDoBronxs) December 24, 2020

Conor McGregor is looking to build on what he started in 2020 📈

(via @TheNotoriousMMA) pic.twitter.com/rHvwziRKCI

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 21, 2020

Belts. New divisions. New rivalries.

In the six years since their first meeting, Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor have chalked up serious resumes 🔥 pic.twitter.com/san4UYPEeD

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) November 23, 2020

OFFICIAL: Your Poirier-McGregor 2 poster has landed 💎🇮🇪

[ #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/fbvMEO2RBE

— UFC (@ufc) December 23, 2020

Video highlights

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Ariel Helwani and Marc Raimondi discuss if Dustin Poirier is the right opponent for Conor McGregor, as Helwani implores people not to sleep on Poirier.

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Dustin Poirier explains how after his loss to Conor McGregor in 2014, he began to change his perspective on fighting and that made him happier overall in life.

The post Everything you need to know about Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 2 appeared first on Global News Video.

• Timothy Bradley Jr.

From the moment the fight was announced, Ryan Garcia vs. Luke Campbell was going to boil down to one major talking point: whether or not Garcia is ready to step up and prove he’s the real deal as an elite boxer and not just a social media star.

But the interim WBC lightweight title that’s on the line on Saturday in Dallas isn’t just going to be handed to Garcia. For Campbell, who has suffered losses in both of his previous world title fights, against Vasiliy Lomachenko and Jorge Linares, it’s one more chance to prove he can step up to the task and not fade in the spotlight of a big moment.

And there’s no doubt about it — the first major boxing card of 2021 is a big moment. We’ve seen this type of fight before — the young phenom against a guy with enough experience to challenge him and give him trouble. And it might be only Garcia’s second headlining fight, but there are many reasons to believe he’s up to the task and prove he has the skills to back it all up.

In his most recent fight, his first main event, 22-year-old Garcia took less than two minutes to land a highlight-reel knockout against Francisco Fonseca back in February.

In the boxing world, we talk about experience, how being the veteran and fighting all of those rounds is a big deal. In some cases, it is. But not this one. Garcia is younger. He’s bigger. He’s stronger. He’s faster. He has exceptional timing.

We’ve seen Campbell, and it seems pretty safe to say we know who and what he is as a fighter. He has wilted in the spotlight. We saw it against Linares, when he fought tough through the middle rounds but couldn’t finish strong and lost that split decision. We saw it when he fought against Lomachenko, flashing some nice punches early but not being able to stretch that through the whole fight.

It just seems somewhere along the way he loses focus and concentration.

Campbell, stylistically, is not the type of fighter who should give Garcia problems, at all. Campbell is a technical boxer who does his best work when he’s digging down to the body and being a little more aggressive. But he doesn’t stay with that. He can’t sustain the type of pressure needed to beat the timing of Garcia.

I think Garcia will face some difficult challenges moving forward, even though he’s shown that he is a great fighter, and he’s only getting better. I don’t think Campbell is the guy who can exploit the flaws Garcia currently shows, but there are a few. He fights with his chin straight up in the air. A lot of times Garcia locks his knees, and he stands straight up. He doesn’t take pressure all too well.

The reason I’m so confident about what Garcia can do comes from how I break down fights. I’m looking at five criteria, and while it’s not an exact science, I think it’s a pretty good way to sketch out how a fight will play out most of the time.

No. 1: Which fighter is smarter — who knows when to fight, and when not to fight?

I have to go with Garcia on this. He knows when he has to box, when to fight, when to smother, when to tie up. He’s smart in there. He’s undefeated for a reason. Campbell might flash some of these skills, especially when he’s going down to the body, but he doesn’t pace himself well.

No. 2: Who can handle making adjustments as the fight goes on?

Admittedly, we haven’t seen much of Garcia having to adjust, because he catches guys early. He has superior timing. He knocks guys out. I’ve seen Campbell getting knocked down against a smaller guy, with Lomachenko. He went down against Linares, who is not known as a big power puncher. Garcia has punching power and speed, and I think that projects to him finding the spots he has to and making the right decisions and adjustments when they have to be made.

No. 3: Who has better concentration, conditioning and stamina?

Garcia, no question. He went the distance only once, in a 10-round fight, and this will be his third 12-round fight. The first two didn’t get out of the first round. Campbell, on the other hand, fades in the second half of fights. That’s his M.O., especially in the big moments. He doesn’t seem to have the conditioning and concentration to go 12 hard rounds.

No. 4: Who is readily prepared? Who lives the sport?

I have to go with Garcia again. I could be wrong about Campbell, underestimating how much he lives and dies with boxing. But I can tell you this: Garcia is always in shape. I saw him in San Diego not too long ago. He looked trim, he looked ready and looked focused. Even as someone who has a bigger frame than a lot of other guys in the division, it looks like he won’t have much of a struggle making weight. He’s always preparing himself, always in the gym. He lives and breathes the sport.

No. 5: Who has the better trainer?

Nothing against Shane McGuigan and the work he does with Campbell, but Eddy Reynoso is a great trainer. He has Canelo Alvarez, which tells you a lot about his reputation and what he thinks of Garcia to be working with him as well. Think about Garcia’s heart. Think about Garcia’s skills. The timing he has on his shots. That left hook he possesses, which guys don’t see coming. He has all of the tools needed to win this fight, and Reynoso is sharpening them all.

Prediction: Garcia has more to prove. This is Garcia’s moment. Garcia should win this fight, and I won’t be surprised if he catches Campbell and knocks him out. I think it would be the midway point of the fight, Round 6 or 7. He’s going to catch Campbell, he’s going to hurt him, and he’s going to finish him.

By the numbers

Courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information research

5-0, 4 KOs: Garcia’s record since moving up from junior lightweight to lightweight.

2:58: Total fight time for Garcia in his past two fights, a pair of first-round KOs against Francisco Fonseca and Romero Duno.

7.8 million: Total Instagram followers for @kingryan. Among boxers, that puts Garcia in the top four, behind three of the biggest names in the sport: Floyd Mayweather (24.4 million), Mike Tyson (14.3 million) and Anthony Joshua (11.9 million). Garcia recently passed Canelo Alvarez (7.5 million).

0: Number of times Campbell has been knocked out. He’s been knocked down four times in his career and dropped three decision losses, but Campbell has never been KO’d.

33.5: Average number of jabs per round thrown by Campbell, seventh most among all active boxers, according to CompuBox data.

Twin title defenses for the Alvarados

Only two sets of siblings currently hold world titles. Most could name the Charlo twins — IBF, WBA and WBC junior middleweight world titleholder Jermell and WBC middleweight world titlist Jermall — but most would struggle to name the other pair.

It’s another set of twins, but it’s understandable if you aren’t yet familiar with Felix and Rene Alvarado, who hail from Nicaragua. Felix (35-2, 30 KOs) is the IBF junior flyweight (108 pounds) world titlist and is on a 17-fight win streak that dates back to his two pro losses, which came in back-to-back title challenges. Despite them being twins, Rene (32-8, 21 KOs) fights at junior lightweight (130 pounds) — a staggering 22-pound difference. Rene shocked the boxing world with a dominant victory in a rematch against Andrew Cancio in November 2019, scoring a Round 7 KO when the referee stopped the fight because of a cut over Cancio’s left eye from a legal punch in the third round.

Rene’s eight-fight win streak, including winning the WBA “regular” junior lightweight title, is all the more impressive considering Rene lost six fights in a 10-fight stretch from 2014 through 2017, although most came against strong competition, including his first fight against Cancio and a decision loss to Yuriorkis Gamboa.

On the Garcia-Campbell undercard, both fighters put their titles on the line. Felix defends against DeeJay Kriel (16-1-1, 8 KOs), who has been unbeaten in 17 fights (almost exclusively in his native South Africa) since losing his pro debut. Rene squares off with Roger Gutierrez (24-3-1, 20 KOs) in a rematch of a 2017 fight won by Rene.

Full card:

• Title fight: Ryan Garcia vs. Luke Campbell, 12 rounds, for the vacant WBC interim lightweight title

• Title fight: Rene Alvarado vs. Roger Gutierrez, 12 rounds, for Alvarado’s WBA “regular” junior lightweight title

• Title fight: Felix Alvarado vs. DeeJay Kriel, 12 rounds, for Alvarado’s IBF junior flyweight title

• Raul Curiel vs. Ramses Agaton, 10 rounds, welterweights

• Franchon Crews-Dezurn vs. Ashleigh Curry, eight rounds, super middleweights

• Alex Rincon vs. Sergio Lucio Gonzalez, six rounds, junior middleweights

• Sean Garcia vs. Rene Marquez, four rounds, lightweights

• Asa Stevens vs. Francisco Bonilla, four rounds, bantamweights

• Tristan Kalkreuth vs. Jorge Armando Martinez, four rounds, cruiserweights

Tim Fiorvanti contributed in this report.

The post Ringside Seat: Timothy Bradley’s analysis, prediction for Ryan Garcia’s showdown against Luke Campbell appeared first on Global News Video.

Becky Hammon made history on Wednesday, becoming the first woman to act as head coach during an NBA regular season game.

The San Antonio assistant coach filled in for head coach Gregg Popovich after he was ejected in the first half of the Spurs’ 121-107 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Popovich received a technical foul and was run from the game with 3:56 remaining in the second quarter for arguing with the referee over a no call with his team trailing the Los Angeles Lakers 52-41.

Hammon is in her seventh season on the Spurs’ coaching staff and was a six-time All-Star in the WNBA with the New York Liberty and San Antonio Silver Stars.

Popovich was ejected from a game last November and Hammon and the rest of the Spurs staff filled in during his absence. After the game, however, Popovich said that Tim Duncan ultimately assumed the head coaching abilities to finish out the game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Duncan stepped down from a full-time coaching role with the Spurs during the offseason.

Hammon, 43, was named as a returning nominee to enter the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in the class of 2021. Popovich was asked about Hammon’s credentials before the Lakers game.

“Obviously, I think very much of her abilities having hired her. That all began when I saw her play,” Popovich said. “She was a leader, everybody on the team reacted to her, she was very confident, very competitive and she led the whole show. And when I got to know her and she was in our coaches meetings before she was hired, while she was hurt after the season, we found out about her knack for the game, her innate understanding of what wins, what loses, what has to be there to make a program. So she’s got all of the tools necessary to be a heck of a coach in our league.”

The post Spurs’ Hammon 1st woman to direct NBA team appeared first on Global News Video.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law has been suddenly retired on the advice of a veterinarian after an X-ray revealed bone bruising in the colt’s front leg.

Jack Knowlton of Sackatoga Stable tweeted Wednesday: “We are beyond grateful for the time we had with him.” The New York state ownership group had been expecting to race the colt as a 4-year-old next year.

But a series of X-rays revealed “severe” bone bruising to the bottom of the front leg bone. “When that happens, you can’t continue to train and race a horse without significant threat of a catastrophic breakdown,” the stable tweeted.

Tiz the Law had six wins in nine career starts and earnings of $2,735,300, according to Equibase. He retired on the same day his trainer, Barclay Tagg, turned 83. Tiz the Law was ridden by Manny Franco.

Tiz the Law finished sixth in what turned out to be his final start in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland in November. He finished second behind Authentic in the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5.

He won the Belmont Stakes, which kicked off this year’s out-of-order Triple Crown series, on June 20. Tiz the Law skipped the Preakness on Oct. 3. His other wins this year came in the Florida Derby and Holy Bull, both at Gulfstream in Florida.

As a 2-year-old, Tiz the Law won two of three races, including the Champagne Stakes.

The post Belmont winner Tiz the Law retired on vet’s advice appeared first on Global News Video.

EAGAN, Minn. — Minnesota Vikings star running back Dalvin Cook will miss Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions because of the death of his father, according to a league source.

Cook returned to his home in Miami on Tuesday to be with his siblings and will miss the Vikings’ daily COVID-19 tests, making him unavailable for Sunday’s season finale, according to the source.

Cook’s father, James, was 46 years old.

Cook leads the NFL in total yards from scrimmage (1,918) and scrimmage yards per game (137) and scored 17 touchdowns this season. He is second in the league in rushing yards with 1,557, behind Tennessee Titans star Derrick Henry (1,777).

Cook joined Adrian Peterson and Robert Smith as the only players in Vikings history to rush for 1,500 yards in a single season.

During his weekly Wednesday press conference, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer declined to say whether he’s made a decision to rest other starters in Week 17 after the Vikings were eliminated from postseason contention in a Christmas Day loss to the New Orleans Saints.

The post Source: Cook out vs. Lions after father’s death appeared first on Global News Video.

DeVonta Smith of Alabama is The Associated Press college football player of the year and the first wide receiver to win the award since it was established in 1998.

In what could be a preview of the Heisman Trophy voting, Smith received 26 first-place votes and 114 points to finish comfortably ahead of his teammate and quarterback, Mac Jones.

Jones received nine first-place votes and 67 points as he and Smith became the first teammates to finish 1-2 in the voting for AP player of the year.

Smith is also the first Alabama player to win the award.

“Probably one of the most selfless guys that I’ve ever had the opportunity to coach in terms of whatever he can do to help the team he wants to do,” Tide coach NIck Saban said. “The guy is one of the most popular guys on the team and also one of the leaders of the team that everybody looks up to because of the example that he sets every day and how he goes about his work.”

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence finished third with nine first-place votes and 49 points, and Florida quarterback Kyle Trask was fourth with three first-place votes and 44 points.

Smith, Jones, Lawrence and Trask are the Heisman Trophy finalists. The trophy will be presented Jan. 5.

The AP player of the year has gone to the Heisman winner 17 of 22 times previously. The two most recent times when the AP player of the year and the Heisman went to different players involved Alabama’s Heisman winners.

In 2009, Crimson Tide running back Mark Ingram won the Heisman in one of the closest votes in the history of the award, but Nebraska defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh was AP player of the year.

Derrick Henry won the 2015 Heisman for the Tide, but Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey was AP player of the year.

Like the Heisman, quarterbacks have dominated the AP player of the year, with 17 QBs winning the award, along with four running backs.

Smith, who is trying to become the first receiver to win the Heisman since 1991, has 98 catches for 1,511 yards and has scored 19 touchdowns.

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